EDC: Genesis
by cassidyxns
Summary: It is the year 2004, and Earth Defense Command pilot Cassandra Paxton returns from a several month odyssey in space only to find herself thrown into a series of events that lead up to the inevitable. (Prelude to Transformers: The Movie) (Rated for language/violence)
1. Andromeda Lovell

The events of this story take place during the gap between the end of Season 2 of The Transformers and The Transformers: The Movie.

* * *

gen·e·sis

ˈjenəsəs/

noun

1\. the origin or mode of formation of something.

* * *

 _October 15, 2004_

 _Earth Defense Command Headquarters, Earth_

Marissa Faireborn didn't find enjoyment in the Defense Command like she use to. Young, wild, and full of excitement to fight for a cause, similar to her parents, was now dimmed down to a more middle-aged level. It sparked the mindset and goals that led her to where she was today-But, Fairborn's age had nothing to do with her early grey hairs, but rather from the result of one particular member of the Earth Defense Command. A brash, young pilot, Cassandra Paxton could be described as many things among her peers. She was a new face to the table, with medium-length ash brown hair and eyes, which in contrast with her mocha tanned skin, framed herself beautifully. To Marissa, she was a student-a very _young_ student-to put it simply. The youngest recruit in the **E.D.C** , Paxton's seventeenth birthday only passed last Spring, and to this day no one is really sure why she was even here. Many speculate she was only recruited so young because she was off-world, where rules and regulations don't necessarily apply. However, Marissa knew better, because _she_ was the one who allowed the teen to join. And, exactly like Marissa had tried to _avoid_ , Cassandra just became more unpredictable than she had expected. She thought that maybe the Command would help her mature, but instead it gave her the advantage of being reckless knowing no matter what she did, the Autobots would take her side-and by Autobots, it is heavily meant as being directed towards the _Aerialbots_ -whom of which are the only Autobots Cassandra affiliates herself with. Marissa really never understood why, but the gestalt team quickly took a liking to her, so she kind of stuck with them. The relationship dynamic between her and them would confuse many, as it has very well confused Cassandra's commanding officer equally.

"Captain Faireborn, one of our prison ships has entered our airspace, should we allow them clearance?" The baritone voice of one of Marissa's twin officers startled the woman from her seat, her knee hitting the bottom of her desk in a rather loud ruckus that left the other end rather quiet in confusion to such a foreign act from the normally professional Fairborn. She reached for her telecomm, and gave an all clear only so she could alleviate the awkwardness that would sure linger later on in her rather pretentious

evening. When she heard the click of the comm turning off, the brunette-haired woman sighed deeply and heavily, before leaning on her desk, elbows supporting her as she massaged her temples with shaky fingers. It had been weeks-,months even, since she had last seen Paxton, and she began to wonder if she would ever come back. For several years, she replaced the orphaned Cassandra's parents as a surrogate- and would even go as far as to consider the young woman as her own _daughter_. Marissa is highly respected and regarded by anyone who knows her name, so she reminds herself to always appear professional towards Cassandra as to not disperse the image she has set for her as well as her minor student. She wouldn't want people to accuse her of bias favoritism when it came down to making tough decisions. If anything, a lot of people speculate that Marissa actually _despises_ Cassandra, and is currently overjoyed that the pilot hasn't been seen in over 6 months. Always making things difficult for Paxton, it is all purely elected from the mindset of improving her behavior and developing more respect towards her lieutenants-namely one Autobot in particular: Ultra Magnus.

Currently swiveling around in her chair, Marissa pondered in deep thought, a very unusual behavior for a headstrong woman such as herself. But, that was quickly forgotten, as she was now in the presence of a sandy-haired MIT graduate. Carly Witwicky was not one to bear bad news, and by the way her lips curved into a frown and her gaze stayed low, that was the assumption Marissa had concluded upon seeing her old friend. Carly had been visiting often when their schedules allowed so-she discussed plans to possibly temporarily leave until the evacuations from Cybertron were complete, as well as when the Autobot's new Earth Fortress-Autobot City-finally met its completion deadline. With the Decepticons rising in power, territories were becoming scarce, and the risk of the Autobot City plans falling into their hands was too high. The city is the last place for the Autobots to reside until Moonbase One and Two began industrializing weapons to fight back. Carly took the burden of concealing the blueprints until after the worst has past-their darkest hour, some might call it.

"I've already spoken to Daniel," Carly took a seat across from Marissa, placing an oddly-shaped metallic ball in front of her. It was spotted with blue lights, and marked itself with the Autobot insignia. The brunette raised an eyebrow at it, suspecting she knew what the object was but wasn't about to jump to assumptions too quick. "Are these the plans?" Her voice rose in question, watching Carly's facial expression as she spoke.

"Yes," Her voice was soft, tired, and Marissa knew Carly was inevitably depressed from saying goodbye to her son. Daniel was only twelve, and with his father being stationed on Moonbase Two, he now had to watch his mother leave as well for who knows how long. She took Carly's hand in her own, and gave it a squeeze, at a loss for words as to what the mother must be feeling. In her hand though, she felt the blonde pass her something small, yet rectangular in shape. Marissa allowed her expressions to speak for her, and Carly exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"Give this to Cassandra," Carly must have been _greatly_ mistaken, because-"She will return very soon, I have a feeling." Marissa wasn't sure how to describe the look on her face, but Carly chuckled slightly at the baffled expression, so it must have been a mix between shock and relief.

After an exchange of farewells, the two parted ways, but Marissa couldn't shake something Carly had said to her before departing.

" _Look for Andromeda Lovell_."


	2. Exposed

_Earth Defense Command, Mars Outpost One_

 _March 30, 1999_

 _"What are you doing in there?" Sullivan finally caught up with his target, whom of which tried to hide herself away inside one of the vents of an E.D.C Space Cruiser. "C'mon, kid, you know better than to be in here. Marissa has been looking all over for you." The trooper reached up and plucked the twelve year old from her spot, her lips formed a solid pout as Sullivan took her hand in his with a tight grip, ensuring she wouldn't slip away again._

 _"I found her," Sullivan spoke through his intercom to the rest of the search groups. Cassandra Paxton never asked for this. She never hoped in her whole life that she would constantly be seen as a child. I mean-she was-but she was old enough to not have to constantly have someone holding her hand or following her around. She was at the edge of her limit with constantly being babied by Marissa and the rest of the administration! "Your parents would have wanted you to be kept safe","We all want the best for you" they would always tell her. But, she was not her mother, nor' her father-she only wished they would begin to see her as her_ own _person rather than those of her predecessors-_

* * *

 _Earth Defense Command Headquarters, Earth_

 _Present Day_

"Come on, get up!" A rough shove brought the dreamer back from an unintentional nap, and her cuffed hands received a harsh tug which brought her up to her feet. Her shackles were in turn connected to the rest of the criminals on board the ship, and they were all led out in an equal-file line, led by an officer of the very- _very_ recognizable Earth Defense Command. However, noticeably along the line, she was the only human among a crowd of various alien species.

"What are we dealing with today, Officer Golden?" The man who led them out was now handing a data pad to a superior, the women, known as Lieutenant Taylor Glenn, scanned her eyes over the list, "pirates, thieves, smugglers… The _usual_ I'm guessing?" Her olive eyes met with each of the individuals, before landing upon the single human in the line. "What category does _she_ fall under?" She asked Golden, not breaking her gaze on the young prisoner.

" _Thief._ She was caught trying to steal encrypted files from our Pluto Outpost."

"What kind of _files_?"

"We still aren't sure. She managed to manually override the system with very little footprint to leave behind. The only reason we even detected her was because her ship's license plate didn't match anything on our records."

It was undeniable that Taylor was impressed- _very_ , _ver_ y _impressed_. Only someone who went through the training was capable of overriding any of the E.D.C's computer software.

"Please say your name for me," Taylor demanded with stout in her tone, and the hazel-brown eyes of the addressed met hers, but she did not speak.

"Her I.D and ship were confiscated, and her license listed her name as being _Andromeda Lovell_." Golden alleviated the silence between the two women, handing the lieutenant a small card, printed with her ship's license and I.D. After identifying her, Taylor returned the items back to the Officer, and her posture straightened, "separate her from the rest of the group and put her in a containment room until she can question her further."

Upon that exchange of commands, the shackles on "Andromeda" released, but no one expected that within that span of a few seconds, that she was already making a break for it. She shoved down the guards in her path, and sprinted at the speed of someone who was obviously alumni to their high school's track team.

Fists clenched, and the face of Lieutenant Glenn bore imaginary flames. "Catch her, or this goes on all of your _records_!" She practically roared, causing all the lingering troops to disengage to all the doors that were even nearby the facility. But, little did they know, this one escapee they were after knew practically how the _shadows_ of this base were laid out. She already mapped in her head multiple exit routes, and every corner led to a place that were means to an end to her, until-

Until she found herself in the shadow of one City Commander- _one City Commander_ who didn't even need to address one's name to make the impression that one was indeed… _caught._ She very much miscalculated the fact that this base was also built to accommodate Autobots, even Autobots that bore the robust form of Ultra Magnus. She felt his gaze linger on her, and by gaze it was heavily meant to mean _glare_. She knew there was no way she could falsify her identity out of this one.

"I see you still have no respect for authority, _Cassandra Paxton_."


	3. Wanted

Marissa couldn't believe it when she received the phone call-she had been quick to rush over to the containment facility upon learning that she had returned with little to no explanation on where she had been for the past six months. Even with Ultra Magnus looming nearby, she still reflected no change in her radical-and rather violent-behavior.

"Cassandra?!" Marissa had unintentionally shoved the trooper standing guard upon rushing into the room, she would have to remind herself to apologize to them later. She looked exactly like Marissa had remembered her, but her under eyes reflected just how little sleep she must have gotten as of late. But, to Marissa, that was not as important as finding out why she left and where she had been. She found it virtually impossible to believe that she'd abandon her duties-abandon her friends and family-and not expect them to worry about her. She was only a teenager! She can't even legally travel off-world without a supervisor present with her, nonetheless the galaxy! Now, there she was, sitting at an empty table with her hands cuffed as if she was some prisoner. Truly, the sight offended Marissa considering these troopers knew who Paxton was!

"Un-cuff her, you guys know better," the two troopers-who were previously conversing among themselves-jumped at the sight of the Captain. Both silently walked over to Cassandra, and a click from her wrists brought her freedom to move freely again. However, when she stood up, Marissa stomped her way over rather furiously, grabbing Cassandra by the shoulder and pushing her back into the chair.

"Where the hell have you been? I was beginning to think you were dead!" Yep, she was furious. Very, very, furious. The brunette teen actually looked decently afraid at seeing her mentor actually start screaming at her. Before Cassandra could get a decent response out, two male figures approached from the double doors, with a good handful of data pads and files regarding this case. Both were dressed the same, sporting the uniform of the Earth Defense Command, as well as some other accessories regarding their rank and position. Rodrick and Christopher, their names were the only detail Cassandra could remember about them.

"Ms. Andromeda Lovell has appeared to have been the main suspect of many incidences for the past six months, ranging from Outpost One to the Sol System out past the nearest warp gate." Christopher opened up a plentiful amount of security footage showing her and her ship traveling from several locations between those two points. "I must say, Cassandra Paxton, you are a quite talented at covering up your tracks. We were beginning to think you were just another rogue with a starship. But, further evidence concludes you were searching for these plans."

Marissa was handed a data pad, and on the screen were the beta blueprints to Autobot City. The Captain blinked several times, eyebrows furrowed with her attempt to figure out exactly what all of this meant.

"I intercepted a communication between Shockwave and the Constructions. They had plans to reverse engineer the plans in order to construct their own Earth fortress, called Trypticon. I took action by stealing them and meeting up with Carly on one of the deserted trade outposts out by the Kuiper belt. How else do you think she got them? With the Autobots currently evacuating we had no choice but to organize a rendezvous point without their aid." Cassandra invoiced, her gaze remaining low and at the table. "Perceptor and Prowl approved, but they advised us to do this off the radar to avoid being detected by Cybertron. I was the only pilot available that could do the journey- They left me with no choice but to prioritize Autobot City over my duties for the EDC."

Marissa's stomach dropped. Why didn't she tell her about this? Did she think she couldn't tell her something of this magnitude?-

"I was provided with a ship as soon as I was told to leave. However, I was not allowed to tell anyone due to the circumstances of the Decepticons intercepting any communications, similar to how I discovered theirs. As soon as I delivered the plans to Carly I was ratted out by a Skuxxoid, and that's how I ended up on the prison ship back here."

"A bounty was placed as soon as we were able to identify you. I guess Skuxxoids will do anything for the right price." Rodrick exclaimed, turning to Cassandra, "we are done here. I'm sure Kup will want to have a talk with you about this, since Prowl has yet to inform any of the stationed Autobots here about these plans. These Headquarters are just temporary until members of the Council's peacekeeping force arrive to take them to Constancy. When they find out you're not among the rest of them they will begin to search for you. Whether or not your affairs were towards the Autobots and Decepticons, you still are a criminal and violated the law."

Cassandra gawked, "I stole the plans because I had to! If the EDC just handed over Autobot City's blueprints the Decepticons could just intercept the rendezvous coordinates. Stealing them leaves them in the dark, which is why Carly and I were successful." She stood up, slamming her palms flat on the table, "I'm not a thief! I was carrying out orders!"

Marissa put her hand in her shoulder, a gesture that calmed Cassandra enough to listen, "that may be true, but the Council still sees you as a criminal. We can't just dismiss the fact that you broke some laws because you were ordered to. It's all about perspective now, Cassandra, and we can't alter their views because laws are laws."

Christopher stepped in as well, "their job is not to listen, they were formed to keep the peace and deal with members who violate the laws and pact."

Rodrick and Christopher idly collected their items, before making their way out silently, the click of their shoes the only sound that bounced off the walls as Marissa and Cassandra sat in silence.

"I can't get you off the list, Cassandra. It's out of everyone's hands. We're not allowed to get involved with these matters." Marissa pulled up a chair and sat across from Paxton, taking a deep, and rather long breath before continuing with her statement. "As of now, you are a wanted criminal."

"I've lost my ship, my license" Cassandra mused, "...what now?"


	4. Reunion

Avani Bacchus's only hope for surviving this night shift was a constant stream of coffee and nightly reruns of the original Star Trek. She was fortunate to come across a station that aired old television shows, or else she would have to resort to sitting here staring at the surveillance monitors for the rest of the night. The proposal of joining the E.D.C seemed exciting at first for the Princeton graduate. But here she was, wasting her masters degree in aerospace engineering by sitting here. She thought she would be doing something with her life. Like, I don't know, going to space? Wasn't that what the Defense Command was for? She was beginning to regret not accepting NASA's offer. She groaned, taking a sip of her coffee.

 _"Has it occurred to you that there's a certain inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things you've already made up your mind about?"_

 _"It gives me emotional security."_

"Me too, Kirk." Avani said to herself. "You crazy bastard."

Her one-sided conversation about Spock and Kirk's on-screen interaction was interrupted by a flashing red light to the right of her keyboard. She rolled her chair over, brought her cup of coffee up to her lips, then froze. She glanced at the monitors. Nothing seemed to be breached, so why was the beacon going off? She typed some more, making sure to get a good look at all the cameras until she found the source of the disturbance. Within a few minutes, she found what she was looking for, and her cup fell to the desk. Rolling her chair over to the telecomm, she dialed in a few numbers and brought the device up to her head.

"This is Avani Bacchus in Surveillance." She said. "I need this line to be transferred to Kup right away."

"Yes it's an emergency!"

* * *

Cassandra knew she was going to be locked up, but she didn't think Marissa would confine her to her bedroom. Well, it was a small room with a two bunks, but it was better than a prison cell. The room was meant to house two people, but luckily no one wanted to be her roommate. It must be her charming personality. So yeah, she had the place all to herself, and surprisingly all her belongings were exactly as she had left it. There use to be a window next to her bed, but given the circumstances Marissa had it covered up with some old-fashioned planks of wood and nails. Guess she didn't want any peeping Toms watching her while she lays there contemplating her existence.

She turned her head to look at the clock. She had gotten no sleep since she had been here, and it was now a whopping 4 a.m and Cassandra wasn't even sure she blinked in the last ten minutes. However, one thing kept replaying in her mind over and over again.

 _"You're a wanted criminal."_

Cassandra would be lying if she said she didn't like the sound of that. I mean, wanted by the Galactic Council? No one would fuck with someone with that title. Her lips quivered into a hesitant smile. For the first time all night, Cassandra felt she could actually relax, and fall into a much needed sleep that seems to have been misplaced from her life for the past few months. However, fate had other plans for her.

Her eyes shot open. A steady, obnoxious beep roused Cassandra from her few seconds of peace, and in that moment she felt a deepand profound desire to just fucking die. She balled her first up, swung her arm out for the telecom, and hit the answer button with such force she was surprised she didn't smash the device.

"Go fuck yourself." She said.

"I had a feeling you weren't asleep, " Marissa Faireborn replied, pretending she didn't hear that comment.

Cassandra groaned. "What do you want?" She said, eager to hang up and then throw the device against the wall.

"I think you'll be happy to hear that you have some visitors." Marissa said. I don't know if she was expecting Cassandra to scream with joy, but all the Captain got was some silence, and a "'kay".

Cassandra changed out of her sweats, and wrapped her hair up in a bun. Fashion wasn't her biggest concern considering she knew she looked damn good in anything. Confidence was one thing she always had, despite all odds. She took the long way, taking her time with a stroll through the calm, cool night. She missed space, but nothing replaces actual gravity. It was nice to walk around again without wearing a clunky space suit.

It really didn't concern her who wanted to see her so late at night, considering how small her list of friends was. I mean, her parents weren't really around anymore, so the closest family she had was Marissa. She knew some names around the base-but no one really seemed to want to talk to her. Her last guess would be some Autobot who wanted to lecture her for breaking so many laws and protocols. Couldn't be Ultra Magnus, he already scolded her within the last 24 hours. She kind of blanked out when she arrived at the door to the bunker, and not a single thing seemed to process in her mind until she laid her eyes onto five very familiar-and very very angry-Aerialbots. Oh shit! She was not about to deal with this now. She turned on her heel ready to haul her ass back, but she heard Silverbolt's loud, obnoxious "Ah-hem!" and physically restrained herself from bashing her head against the nearest wall. Fuck! Was the only word running through her mind right now.

Cassandra stopped, and turned to face them. She knew she couldn't run from her problems anymore now that she was back on Earth. In her mind, she counted who was present, and all of them were here. Fireflight, Skydive, Air Raid, Slingshot and Sliverbolt were all accounted for. Luckily her for, Silverbolt spoke first and didn't seem to care if Cassandra wanted to explain herself.

"We were mourning for so long," Silverbolt said, "we genuinely thought the rumor of your return was a lie. After the first few months we began to accept that you might be dead."

It really didn't occur to Cassandra before the impact her actions had on those around her. And even when she was aware of it, she just didn't care. Cassandra sometimes forgot that, even in the middle of a war, she still had to suffer the consequences of her actions. Cassandra now began to see that she had unintentionally weighed a heavy burden upon the Aerialbots. It was funny really, that being a criminal didn't shove her into reality but rather a simple sentence delivered by the beings closest to her.

Cassandra had assumed they were angry, but Silverbolt seemed to be the only one who openly chose to express his feelings about the situation. The others, however, looked beyond relieved to have her back. And it showed in the way Air Raid rushed her, scooped her up and held her up to a more comfortable height so that she could interact with the rest of the team. Silverbolt stepped away, watching from a short distance and he began to realize that the past, was in the past. Slingshot was now back to being an arrogant asshole, and Air Raid had his partner in crime back. The data pad that was practically glued to Skydive to help keep him busy was nowhere to be seen. Fireflight remained quiet, but the smile he wore expressed what words could not. They all conversed to themselves about her adventure and what has been happening on Cybertron. The team's morale was back. They could rest easy now.

* * *

"And it just appeared out of nowhere?" Kup's optics stayed glued to the screen. Avani stood beside him, keeping her distance incase the old 'bot took an unnecessary step in her direction.

"Yes." She replied. "It appears to be Deceptions, but I'm afraid I cannot identify him. There are four or five signatures, but their identities are hidden."

"It's Astrotrain." He said sharply, startling the engineer. "I can't identify who is aboard, but I can tell you it's not Megatron."

"How do you know?" Avani asked.

"He's on Cybertron." Kup replied hotly, and Avani lowered her head, kind of regretting the question. She was still new to all this alien stuff. Kup reached to the keyboard, and opened up a line to Ultra Magnus.

"We have detected Astrotrain, sir." Kup spoke, "I will send you his coordinates. He appears to be going for the forest a few miles out from the base."

"Alright. I will dispatch the Aerialbots." Ultra Magnus replied. He was clearly unaware, however, that among the Aerialbots now was the human female he loathed. Kup was surprised to hear that the gestalt team was om Earth, but kept the question to himself. With Autobot City fully constructed, he was needed to enforce security while Autobot refugees made their way to Earth.

"Avani," Kup addressed, "I want you to find Marissa Faireborn and accompany her and Cassandra Paxton."

Avani could feel the hairs on her body stand up at the name. Everyone knew of Paxton, and nobody willingly wanted to be around her. She recently overheard from the people around her that she was back. A reckless, irresponsible hothead, she surely had a reputation of enforcing fear into her comrades in the wrong way. She was about to question Kup's authority, but stopped herself. This could be a chance to promote her out of surveillance duty. She would have to take the risk.

With a newfound confidence, she made her way out and mentally preparing herself for the events to come.


	5. Burden

_Cybertron, 5 months ago_

 _Silverbolt could be considered stressed. Very, very stressed. He was part of a team responsible for transporting majority of the the Autobot Refugees to Moonbase One and Two. And then, after that, Autobot City. Being part of a team was one burden as it is, but to be the leader was a whole other realm of issues. Even after all these years it still felt like every day was another learning experience. He still felt like he did the day Optimus Prime appointed him leader of the Aerialbots. Over time the stress did help him overcome some of his acrophobia, though. Still, more problems arose and life never gave him a moment to catch up._

 _He sat in thought at the temporary habsuite given to him and his team during their mission. For now, he was alone, but his peace would soon be short lived as the familiar voices of his teammates managed to penetrate through the walls outside. His vents released air slowly as to replicate a tired sigh._

 _The doors hissed open, and the rest of the Aerialbots poured into the large hab suite, all conversing amongst themselves rather obnoxiously. Silverbolt stood up to greet them. They had just returned from a mission, and their overjoyed personas answered for Silverbolt that it was successful. Other matters burdened the young leader, which resulted in his absence from them for a short time. The gloomy atmosphere around the Autobots right now was rather contagious, so seeing his team overjoyed was a breath of fresh air to him._

" _I assume it went well?" Silverbolt asked, and he was met with Air Raid giving his much taller comrade a friendly smack on the back._

" _Very!" Air Raid replied, a goofy smile adorned his features._

 _Slingshot, Skydive and Fireflight were busy with a conversation that Silverbolt found himself ignoring. However, a ringing on his comm interrupted him and he answered with intent on hearing some good news. He was met with a very monotone "I think you should come here, we have some news from Earth." From Jazz. He informed his team that he would be right back, and made his way out calmly as to not arouse suspicious. However, the moment the doors closed he rushed into a sprint, worry very much enveloping his emotions. The only news that could be coming from Earth regarding the Aerialbots would be about Cassandra. And right now, bad news was not something he wanted to procrastinate hearing. Albeit human, she was close to the team and everyday they wished they could have her with them. She was assigned to the team by Optimus Prime to help teach the Aerialbots some compassion towards humans. However, the intentions were not only for the Aerialbots, but for Cassandra as well. She needed to learn how to interact with Autobots. In the end, it kind of backfired though. Cassandra refuses to work with other Autobots and the Aerialbots refuse to work with other humans. But at least they have some experience with the opposite species, so that's good for something._

 _Jazz waited patiently, before he heard rushing footsteps-the doors opened, revealing a very troubled looking Silverbolt._

" _Is it Cassandra?" Was all he said, and Jazz frowned. The normally upbeat second-in-command was not usually the first to volunteer to deliver bad news. Normally, he would make Prowl do such a hard task. But, he was absent, and Jazz couldn't bring himself to volunteer someone else who wasn't qualified._

 _He escorted Silverbolt to the seat across from his desk. And both of them sat in silence for a few moments, before Jazz spoke up much to Silverbolts dismay and relief._

" _Cassandra," Jazz began, "has been officially reported as missing." If Silverbolt had a stomach, he would have felt it drop._

" _She was last seen taking an E.D.C spaceship from the Earth Headquarters." He handed Silverbolt a data pad showing the images and recording from the cameras. "Marissa Faireborn assumed she'd return, but after a few weeks it began to become clear that she was not intending on coming back to Earth."_

 _Jazz allowed Silverbolt a few moments to absorb the information. Not many understood the relationship dynamic between the girl and the gestalt team, but Jazz understood that humans can become very close, and after some time they become part of the team. He can't imagine how the Aerialbots will react and feel knowing the only human they ever allowed into their care were to die so prematurely._

 _Silverbolt's expression was solid, and he just stared at the images displayed before him on the small screen. "How long ago was this?" Silverbolt asked._

" _The footage was recorded shortly after the last resignation team arrived." Jazz explained. "It still is unclear where she is going or what she is doing."_

" _This isn't right." Silverbolt said. "She isn't this rational. She wouldn't go off on her own without at least telling someone." Silverbolt put the data pad down, his feelings torn between disbelief and shock._

" _The Defense Command has sent several teams out for her, but what I have shown you is the last contact anyone on Cybertron or Earth has had with her." The second-in-command said. Silverbolt leaned forward, resting his face into his palms. "This can't be happening right now." He thought. Silverbolt immediately began to blame himself._

" _We shouldn't have left her on Earth." Silverbolt's voice strained. "We abandoned a teammate and now she's gone."_

" _This is not your fault." Jazz said. "You didn't abandon her."_

Silverbolt looked up.

" _She abandoned you."_

* * *

"Astrotrain? Here?" Cassandra flatly asked to Silverbolt, whom of which just received orders only moments ago. The Aerialbots were currently gathered in a circle, Cassandra resting on Air Raid's shoulder so she could also discuss the matter at hand with them.

"Yes." He said. "Ultra Magnus just gave me the coordinates. He's dispatching us to investigate-and if need be-confront him and whom ever he has on board." Silverbolt explained, going over the details on a data pad (Courtesy of Skydive). Cassandra groaned. A common action she seemed to do a lot of lately. She had a gut feeling she would be left behind to sulk in her room while they went out.

"He did say _all_ Aerialbots." Air Raid smirked wickedly. Cassandra looked up at him, and she began to realize where he was going with this. She also knew despite all odds, the team _did_ value her and the idea of being left behind was practically foreign to them.

"I smell what you're cooking," she said, mimicking his smirk. Silverbolt looked up from the data pad, and immediately noticed what was going on and was about to put a stop to it.

"She is _not_ going with us!" He butted in. "We are not putting her in any unnecessary danger."

Fireflight, who stood beside Air Raid, practically gawked. "It wouldn't be the first time we've taken her on a mission." Fireflight stated, "she's more than capable of handling her own." It began to occur to Silverbolt that the team didn't quite understand the value of Cassandra _practically returning from the dead._ Or, at least, from their perspective that's how it seemed.

They were too eager to go back to the way things were. Silverbolt was not. Cassandra being gone made him value the importance of responsibility and up until an hour ago he blamed himself for her loss. He wasn't about to put her in danger and lose her _for real_.

"As leader of the Aerialbots, it is my duty to make sure we stay on track with our missions. Bringing Cassandra would only provide inevitable distraction. She is not coming."

"Fine by me," Marissa Faireborn interrupted, standing beside Air Raid with hands on her hips. Cassandra rolled her sandy-brown eyes with a loud groan before the Aerialbot was forced to place her on the ground. Their attempts to bring her along have failed, it seems.

Behind Marissa stood a woman, someone the hothead did not recognize. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly in her direction. "Who is this?" Cassandra asked.

"This is Avani, she is going to be accompanying us for now on Kup's orders." Faireborn spared no time grabbing Cassandra's arm and dragging her out of the bunker. She managed to wave the group "bye", the gesture mimicked from everyone but Silverbolt as she vanished from sight. The newly introduced woman following in pursuit of the two. Avani would be lying if she didn't say she felt completely out of place around her current company.

"Exactly _what_ is going on?" Cassandra questioned, clearly confused as she let herself be dragged away from the gestalt team to who knows where. She blew hair upwards constantly as her bangs continued to fall in front of her eyes. After they got a ways outside the bunker, the cool breeze of the midnight air seemed to brush against them in an uneasy manner.

Cassandra snatched her appendage back from Marissas grip, straightening out her clothes accordingly as she waited for the long-awaited explanation to come from her superior. Avani found herself in quite a pickle as she was struck between introducing herself properly or staying quiet in fear of being shot down by the ash-haired brunette. The Indian woman pushed her wide-framed glasses up with her index finger, chocolate eyes darting back and forth between the two.

The copper-haired Marissa Fairborn seemed to surrender to the grueling gaze that seemed unending from her under-aged, rebellious compatriot. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out a rectangular-shaped object that seemed to snatch Cassandra's bitter expression right from her face with only a glance.

"Carly gave this to me before she left." Marissa started, "she told me it was _important and held valuable information._ "

"What is it?" Avani finally spoke up, resulting in both the woman standing near her to turn to her with an eyebrow raised. "It looks like a flash drive."

"That's because it is." Cassandra actually… Smiled? What blasphemy! She picked up the item from Marissa's hand and flipped it over with her index finger, revealing the words _Track 1_ scribbled on the back with what appears to be cheap sharpie.

"Is it some secret code?" Avani eyed it curiously.

"Nah," Cassandra chuckled. "It's just my music."

Marissa felt an undying impulse to smack the item from her hand, but instead vented her anger in the subtle twitching of her eyebrow.

* * *

Astrotrain wasn't one to find enjoyment in maneuvering his way through the many trees of Earth's forests, so instead he just blasted them to smithereens. It was simple, easy, and effective from a Decepticon standpoint. The rest of the group behind him didn't seem to mind the triple-changers handiwork, considering it made things go along smoother.

"Someone remind me why we're here again." Skywarp miserably mused, the return to the organic planet clearly not triggering any enjoyment from the seeker.

" **Mission: retrieve objective** ," Soundwave seemed to say out of nowhere, not even turning around from where he was walking to speak face-to-face with Skywarp. The sudden act startled the purple and black jet, making him stumble over a large tree root. Luckily, Thundercracker managed to catch his wingmate before he bumped into a nearby tree.

"I understand _that_ much, but _exactly_ what are we getting?" Skywarp said, Thundercracker silently agreeing with him on the question.

"Were neither of you listening before we left?" Rumble flatly asked, _almost_ mocking their intelligence. The two wingmates gave eachother a quick, questionable glance, then a shrug. Soundwave stopped. turned around, and this time faced the two seekers, this time his optic band seemed to stare them down with what seemed to be _annoyance_.

" **Objective: Human** ," Soundwave continued. " **Designation: Cassandra Audrey Paxton**."


End file.
